Advancement On the Mend?

by CelticBalla32 on May 14, 2009 3:30 PM EDT

Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic, May 14, 2009 7:00 PM EDT

2
Thursday, May 14, 2009
7:00 pm ET
Amway Arena (Orlando, FL)

The fourth quarter of Game 5 was gut-check time, and the Celtics answered the call. Trailing by as many as 14 points in the final frame, Boston rallied behind a hot streak from Stephon Marbury and pulled out a monster four-point victory to give them the 3-2 series lead.

If Tuesday night's victory was any indication, the Celtics are not going to win ballgames if they fail to get stops. The hot story of the fourth quarter may have been the return of "Starbury," but that's not the top reason for the victory. Ray Allen and Marbury can hit all the shots they want, but the Celtics do not have a series advantage without the defense to back the offense. The key of the comeback was that Boston buckled down and got multiple stops.

From the timeout Doc Rivers took at the 8:49 mark of the fourth quarter to the final buzzer, Orlando was held to just 11 points. Those stops opened up room for transition success, and the "50-50 game" was severely in Boston's favor throughout that stretch. That was the difference, and that's what the Celtics need to do for four quarters every night. As long as they take care of the defense and the hustle, the offense will follow.

Tonight, Orlando will have their backs against the wall on their home floor. With Boston in the driver's seat, Game 6 is a win or go home situation for Dwight Howard and the Magic. Will they get the job done and force the Celtics to play their fourth Game 7 of the past two postseasons, or will the men in green play inspired basketball on both ends of the floor and set up a date with Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals?

Let's hope for the latter. Go get 'em, boys!

Regular Season Record: 62-20
Eastern Conference Seed: 2
Conference Quarterfinals Result: BOS 4, CHI 3

Projected Starters
PG SG SF PF C

Series Leaders
PPG: Paul Pierce (19.8)
RPG: Kendrick Perkins (11.2)
APG: Rajon Rondo (8.0)
SPG: Rajon Rondo (2.0)
BPG: Kendrick Perkins (2.2)

Regular Season Record: 59-23
Eastern Conference Seed: 3
Conference Quarterfinals Result: ORL 4, PHI 2

Projected Starters
PG SG SF PF C

Series Leaders
PPG: Rashard Lewis (20.8)
RPG: Dwight Howard (16.4)
APG: Rafer Alston (5.0)
SPG: Rafer Alston (1.8)
BPG: Dwight Howard (2.2)

Injury Report
Kevin Garnett (right knee - out)
Leon Powe (torn ACL - out)
Jameer Nelson (torn right labrum - out)

Keys to Victory

Attack, Attack, Attack
Sense of Urgency
Close Off Penetration
Control the Defensive Glass
Take Care of the Ball
Avoid Foul Trouble

Tweet Comment 16 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Another key

Get in Orlando’s head early. They are vulnerable, as seen in game 5. If you can put them down early, they might just fold…

Proud member of Duck nation!

by skywaker9 on May 14, 2009 3:35 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed with the preview keys

and the fact the the Celtics must get in Orlando’s head early.

I know what Boston must do to win, but I don’t know if the Celtics will show up with some great D and a killer instinct. We’ll see but I hope that they close out the series tonight.

Let’s go Celtics!

by Drucci on May 14, 2009 3:44 PM EDT reply actions

The Rim

I still can’t believe that more of a stink wasn’t made by the Magic regarding Rondo’s shot and the grazed rim.
Had that call gone the other way, the Celtics would likely be down 3 games to 2….seriously.

So let’s count our blessings and hope they close it out tonight.

Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk

by mcpu40 on May 14, 2009 3:55 PM EDT reply actions

I think it DID hit the rim though

Good call….

Proud member of Duck nation!

by skywaker9 on May 14, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Think and know

Thinking and knowing are two different things…that’s why I wrote that.
Don’t get me wrong, I was STOKED when the refs made that call.
Yet I’m still surprised it’s not been a huge deal.
See I think it DIDN’T hit the rim…just the net, and I watched it over and over and over again.
Plus, didn’t the refs call it ORLANDO’s way prior to reversing the call when Perkins made a stink (argued, not passing gas).

Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk

by mcpu40 on May 14, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't watch the ball.

I thought it hit the rim, because it looked like the rotation of the ball changed.
I saw it again today and was more convinced it hit the rim, when I saw how hard DW was trying to take it from Perk.
Perk and DW definately had the best view, and they both reacted like it hit the rim. Huge play, either way.

by PISTOL PETE on May 14, 2009 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

They got lucky

Whether the ball actually hit or not, they got lucky. First to get the call, because there was no way for the refs to know what actually happened. Second, because Perk happened to be standing right under the basket where the ball fell… normally a terrible place to be on a 3-point attempt.

And btw, on the next possession, 3 guys hit the rebound which happened by luck to bounce right to Paul. And then on the last rebound of the game, Cs got lucky again when the refs called it a foul by Lewis on Baby rather than a jump ball, since the replay clearly showed Lewis’ hands were entirely and only on the ball.

In the last two games, the Cs sleepwalked through long periods and then got luck y enough to eke out wins, thanks in no small part to lots of help from the choke-prone Magic. Here’s hoping our guys show up for real today.

by DRJ1 on May 14, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions

don't forget...

that orlando hadn’t scored a point in five minutes at that point. they weren’t exactly guaranteed to go down and retake the lead, even if they got the call.

by spider monkey on May 14, 2009 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Bad Feeling

I got a bad feeling about this game. The Game is on ESPN. In this series, We are 0-2 when games are on ESPN and 3-0 when they are on TNT. At least, if it goes to game 7, it will be shown on TNT.

by afflatus on May 14, 2009 4:13 PM EDT reply actions